James Mink

Common card · No. 205028

James Mink was a black man who became a respected businessman in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the 1850s. He owned a hotel and livery on Adelaide Street near Toronto's St. Lawrence market, where many farmers would stay while in town selling their produce. In Toronto, he operated the city’s largest livery stable and several coach lines. He operated a hotel called the Mansion House. James Mink, the son of Johan Herkimer's slave named Mink, became a millionaire, as did his brother, George. The Herkimers settled at the east end of Lake Ontario. He had a hotel, livery and coach service in Toronto, while his brother was located in Kingston, Ontario in the 1840s to 1860's. Both brothers started the first public transit system in their respective cities, James from the Town of Yorkville to the St. Lawrence market in downtown Toronto. Furthermore, they dominated the postal transport of prisoners between Kingston Penitentiary and the Toronto jail. Mink was first living near the corner of Richmond...

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